A Semblance of a Life
by TheAddict4Dramatics
Summary: "Why don't you just stay here?" To this she frowned, she couldn't help it. It was about the very last thing she had expected to hear from him. Haymitch Abernathy, the biggest commitment-phobe going… had he just asked her to move in with him? She must have misunderstood. - Little Hayffie post Mockingjay fluff.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except the mistakes as this is un-beta'd.**

A Semblance of a Life

Chapter One

Haymitch stepped out of his en-suite bathroom drying his hands and face on a towel as he surveyed the scene in front of him.

His former Escort lay sprawled, face down in the middle of his bed, naked as the day she was born. He couldn't help but muse how different she was from the woman who had tuned up on his doorstep, entirely out of the blue, over a year ago. That woman had still been a little too thin, a little too vacant behind the eyes and would've rather died than show him even a hint of the scars (both physical and mental) that the war had left her with. Now she lay sleeping, completely exposed to him and displaying proudly the harsh blemishes on her skin for what they were – testimonies of her strength and endurance. A constant, tangible reminder of whose team she was on. Had always been on really.

Haymitch pulled off his t-shirt and shoes and knelt on the end of the bed before crawling his way up her body, leaving open mouthed kisses along her back as he did so. Effie mumbled something entirely unintelligible but there was no other response.

Unperturbed, Haymitch continued to trace the crisscross markings on her skin left by the whip with his mouth. He'd only ever seen whip marks that bad once before – when the Hawthorne kid had been strung up in the square for poaching. He lingered on a particular red mark and sucked it slightly. This finally granted him a response from her:

"I'm asleep." The words were muffled by the pillow but he understood them all the same.

"Then wake up." Haymitch deadpanned right back.

He had no problem playing her little game. And there was no way this wasn't a game. Her constant moaning about how cold it was in Twelve without the manufactured weather system of the Capitol meant there was absolutely no chance she would have gone to sleep naked and without a blanket unless she wanted be woken up this way. As seduction techniques went this was not a subtle one. It never failed to work though.

"I have an early train to catch tomorrow."

A train to take her back to the Capitol. Back to her unhappy job and the 'real' life that took place at the other end of the country and far away from him and the kids.

"All the more reason. Have to make the most of tonight sweetheart." He punctuated his last words with a couple of lazy kisses to her shoulder.

She rolled over slightly onto her side and looked up at him, obvious amusement painted across her features. He was a goner then. In the quiet moments like that her beauty seemed to hit him like a swift punch to the stomach, leaving him winded. Her clear skin scrubbed free of makeup, her natural, wavy, honey-blonde hair fanned out on his pillow below them. Haymitch bowed his head into the crook of her neck and groaned. Yes, definitely a goner.

"You make it sound like you're never going to see me again. I'll be back in a few weeks for the wedding anyway."

Katniss and Peeta's wedding that was. That, that had seemed like the longest thing coming in the entire known universe was finally happening in a few weeks' time.

"Exactly, hardly seems worth it." He said, trying and probably failing to sound casual. Effie's sleepy hands started to play with his hair.

"What do you mean?"

"Why don't you just stay here?"

To this she frowned, she couldn't help it. It was about the very last thing she had expected to hear from him. Haymitch Abernathy the biggest commitment-phobe going… had he just asked her to move in with him? She must have misunderstood.

"Because I have a job." Effie answered carefully. She was unsure of the game he was playing but she supposed she would play along anyway. It was always games with them. Little games and half-truths.

"A job which you hate."

That was true enough. It was a boring, secretarial post to some man Plutarch knew. It was terribly dull and the money was awful but she knew she was lucky to even have that. Her position after the war had not been a good one. To half of the Capitol she was a war criminal that only managed to escape what would have been an entirely justified public trial by spreading her legs for Haymitch and/or Plutarch. (At least in the last year that had become partially true). And to the other half of the Capitol she was a traitor to her own people, who had thrown her lot in with the rebels and should have been left in her cell to rot.

"Which pays money that I need to live." Effie countered.

"I have plenty of money for the both of us. Half of it is technically yours anyway."

"We're not properly married."

It was Haymitch's turn to frown. He leaned closer to her and dropped a kiss to the corner of her mouth before replying in a teasing voice:

"I've got a piece of paper in the kitchen drawer downstairs that says otherwise sweetheart."

Legally they were married. They had gotten married sometime in the crazy weeks after Snow's surrender during which Coin, interim President of Panem, had decided to put on trial (read execute) anyone that had ever had anything to do with the Games. This included Effie, despite the fact she was still in hospital in pretty bad shape from the imprisonment caused by her allegiance to Katniss and Peeta and him too he supposed. Or, in other words, she had been punished for being too close to the rebels and was about to be punished again for being too close to the Capitol. Haymitch had tried talking to Coin, Plutarch had too, but to no avail. Coin was after blood.

So he'd brought the marriage licence to her hospital room along with two rebels to witness it. He'd expected a mighty fight. He'd expected to have to explain to her exactly what he was doing and why. To explain it didn't matter what she did now, she would always be an Escort to those people unless she signed this paper and then she would become a Victor's wife. Not even Coin would have the balls to go after one of those.

In fact he hadn't had to explain any of that. She had understood exactly what he was doing at once. She simply nodded her head when he told her to sign and said thank you in the sincerest voice he had ever heard her employ. She was always smarter than he gave her credit for.

Haymitch had then taken the shiny new marriage certificate and waved it under Coin's nose, telling her if she still insisted on trying to go after Effie he would make some rather unfortunate comparisons to the powers that be once again going after his family. And he'd throw in some star-crossed lovers shit for good measure. If Katniss could pull it off he was sure he could. As expected Effie was pardoned within the hour.

But then Katniss had pulled her little (very necessary) stunt at Snow's execution and all hell had broken loose. He didn't think the new government would reverse Coin's pardon but he couldn't be sure. Hence they had stayed married. And continued to stay married long after it had become clear Effie was no longer at danger of being re-arrested.

"We never had a toasting. I didn't think it counted in Twelve unless you had a toasting." She explained.

"So you'd stay if we had a toasting?"

Effie noticed he did not contradict her understanding of Twelve's marriage customs. They wouldn't be considered married there until they had a toasting. And it's not as if they had got married as some great show of affection in the first place. She knew why they had remained married originally and assumed the lack of divorce since was more to do with laziness than sentimentality on Haymitch's part.

"That's not what I meant." Effie replied, once again choosing her words carefully.

"We have bread downstairs. I could make a fire."

She was desperately trying to work out his mood. If she didn't know any better she would have accused him of having had a drink, of being downright drunk even. But he hadn't touched a drop since Katniss' trial. He couldn't do moderation – it was wither full-out alcoholism or going completely cold turkey. To everyone's surprise he'd chosen the latter.

A bubble of pride surfaced in her chest every time she thought about it. He had so many reasons to drink but somehow he was resisting. For the kids, for the renewed life he had built in Twelve and on good days she even allowed herself to think maybe he'd stopped for her too a little bit.

"We are not having a toasting tonight. We can't drag Katniss and Peeta out of bed at this hour and I'm sure there are at least a couple of other people you'd want to invite."

There were no other people _she_ would want to invite. Everyone she was once close to was either dead or hated her guts.

Haymitch rolled his eyes at her before saying:

"A toasting isn't like that. It's just between the couple… There isn't any fancy clothes or speeches or guests."

"You mean all the things I had when we got married." She answered with an entirely straight face.

Despite the fact she was clearly joking he didn't smile. But he didn't say the obvious either – _I was a little too busy saving your life._ They both knew he had done exactly that.

The failed attempt of Effie's joke had highlighted the serious tone in which the conversation had suddenly taken. She began to stroke mindless patterns on his chest and arms, scratching at the skin with her long, false nails and stoically refusing the meet his eye.

"I don't really understand what you're saying."

If he wanted her here, _permanently_ , then she needed to hear him to say it. That was of course too much to ask though, so instead she got:

"I'm not saying anything. I just don't get why you trapes back and forth all the time for a job you hate and could do without. And to go home on your own every night to miss me and the kids. And to wake up alone and scared when…"

"I'm not entirely alone." She interrupted him – a very un-Effie thing to do. "You always answer the phone."

She was referring to her frequent nightmares and the phone calls she makes to him after she has woken up confused, terrified and in desperate need to hear his voice. Somehow he always seemed to make it better even hundreds of miles away. Mostly she just needed someone to tell her she was okay, that she wasn't in that cell anymore, that no one was coming to hurt her. All things she already knew but had troubling reminding herself of in those moments. Haymitch understood nightmares better than most. Or maybe he just understood her better than most. He always knew what to say to bring her round.

"But you could wake up with me right next to you. And I could put my arms around you, make it all go away."

He kissed her collarbone as if to emphasise his point. His eyes never left her face but she still refused to meet his gaze. At last she chanced at look at him and brought her hand up to play with the stubble on his jaw.

"Can I think about it?" Effie asked timidly.

Whilst his appraisal of her life in the Capitol had been harsh it had also been true. He did have a point, it seemed a lot of effort to be constantly travelling, constantly counting down the days till her next visit to Twelve when she could just swallow her pride and be there constantly. Was it her pride that was stopping her? Moving to Twelve meant admitting failure in her attempt to rebuild her life in the Capitol after the war.

Failure admitting aside it was still a big ask; to uproot her whole life – even if it was a shitty life.

Haymitch nodded in response to her question but she could tell he was a little grumpy at her answer. She leaned up and kissed him slowly and deliberately, hoping to avoid a full-blown strop on her last night in Twelve.

"Well you've well and truly woken me up now." She purred as she watched his face pique in interest at the tone of her voice. "Are you going to do something about it or what?"

He all but launched himself at her, his mouth finding the side of her neck and devouring it. Effie's squeal of surprise echoed around the empty house. He thought it was probably about time the house got used to being filled with sounds as joyful as that. The Games were over. The war was over. They had won. At a price, a huge price, but they had won. It was about time they started to live some semblance of a life.

 **Note: This is my first time writing these characters so I'd really appreciate any feedback on this, particularly on characterisation. Constructive criticism always welcome. Thanks.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except the mistakes as this is un-beta'd.**

 **Note: Thanks for the feedback, it was very much appreciated! I hope you enjoy this update. Happy reading.**

A Semblance of a Life

Chapter Two

 _A few weeks later…_

Haymitch stood on the deserted platform waiting for the early train to pull in. District Twelve at this time of the morning was cold and he could've easily still been in the warm haven that was his bed at home, but he'd promised to meet her off of the train. He always did. As she'd once pointed out if she could make the effort to travel the length of the country to see him he could walk fifteen minutes into town to meet her from the train.

The contact he had had with her over the last few weeks had been limited to a handful of telephone conversations. And most of these were the type that came in the middle of the night after she'd had a nightmare. These calls mainly consisted of her telling him she missed him and him finding it very hard not to reply _move here then_.

He had her missed too of course. An almost embarrassing amount. So much so he'd almost caved in a couple of times and got on a train himself. His hatred of the Capitol had always won out though – it hadn't changed nearly enough to make it stomach-able for him yet. Although he mainly didn't go because he didn't think he'd be able to bear the smug look on the kid's faces when he returned.

How, exactly, he had managed to go from not being able to stand her and finding her utterly ridiculous to barely coping because he hadn't seen her for a few weeks still baffled him. He was becoming increasingly pathetic when it came to her and he wasn't sure he liked it. Scrap that. He definitely didn't like it, not that he had much say in the matter.

It was in District Thirteen when he first realised his true feelings. Snow had Peeta and the others, Katniss was severely fucked up and he was going without alcohol for the first time in twenty years. Not to mention he was spending every waking hour trying to strategically win a war against an opponent with vastly superior strength, influence and resources. In short she should have been the very last thing on his mind. But she wasn't. He couldn't stop thinking about her, especially after he had learnt she was missing. No one in Thirteen pretended not to know what that meant. He'd lay awake at night wondering what they were doing to her because of him and the kids.

She was put there because she had given him that bangle, given Peeta that medallion and declared them a team. There was no doubting where her loyalties truly lay after that. He knew that and so did the Capitol – they knew she was no longer on their side. He should have got her out. Plutarch had promised she'd be safer in the Capitol, that her status as a Capitol citizen would protect her. Haymitch knew she wouldn't have been welcomed with open arms in Thirteen but he would have been there to protect her.

Instead he'd left her behind. And no matter how many times she told him it wasn't his fault, that she wouldn't forgive him because there was nothing to forgive, he still couldn't forgive himself.

As the train came to a stop and a small number of people began to get out. He spotted her at once dragging an enormous suitcase behind her and teetering along in impossibly high shoes. Yes she was still ridiculous. But a ridiculousness he now craved. As Effie got closer he noticed her make-up, or rather the lack of it. She couldn't be bare faced but it was certainly a lot more subtle than she normally went for. No wig either. Not that that was too unusual these days – wigs had gone out of fashion and Effie had of course followed suit. Normally she had her honey blonde hair in some elaborate style but today she wore it loose, the natural waves bouncing around her shoulders as she walked towards him. Now he looked properly he noticed her clothes were muted too. Besides the shoes that screamed Capitol the rest almost looked … District. Or at least, looked like a Capitol trying to look District.

"Got a big enough case?" Haymitch teased as soon as she closer enough to be in earshot. Effie rolled her eyes – a very unladylike habit he liked to think she had picked up from him.

"I quit my job." She said as way of a reply.

She stood in front of him now, the huge suitcase freestanding behind her. Haymitch was too shocked to say or do anything.

"And I gave up the lease on my flat…"

They both understood how much of a significant moment this was between the two of them and yet all they seemed to be able to do was stand there and stare at each other.

Suddenly her appearance was making a lot more sense to Haymitch. She wasn't here to visit this time. She had come to live in Twelve and had left the Capitol behind, well as much of the Capitol as she could bear to leave behind. She was never going to look like she came from Twelve. She was too beautiful, to Haymitch's mind anyway, and certainly too delicate looking, too expensive somehow. But in a funny sort of way her mix of Capitol and District style made her look like she belonged there – there in the Twelve that was slowly being rebuilt after the war.

The suitcase was suddenly looking very, very small.

"And that's all you brought?" Haymitch asked, indicting to the luggage behind her.

"Oh no, this is all I brought for this weekend. The rest of my things from the flat are coming in boxes next week."

He groaned involuntarily and Effie smiled at his apparent discomfort at being surrounded by her girly, Capitol things.

"Tell me you didn't pack everything?" He whined, continuing their little joke.

In reality she couldn't have packed that much because she didn't have that much left. All of the things she had previously owned were taken by Coin's people as compensation for the war crimes she hadn't stood trial for. Haymitch couldn't stop Coin doing that, not even by making Effie a victor's wife. He had thought it was a small token to pay for making it out with her life. But then again he'd found most of her belongings hideous to being with. Effie had found the loss hard. And it wasn't as if she had had the money since to replace the majority of her belongings.

"Just the essentials." She teased right back but it fell flat. Just the essentials were pretty much all she had. "Are you regretting asking me already?" Effie continued, expecting a mirthful agreement in his answer. Instead he stepped forward and brought a hand to the back of her head to pull her closer to him.

"Not a chance." He told her before pulling her even further in to him and bestowing a solid but gentle kiss to her lips.

Effie pushed away from him almost immediately, looking frantically from left to right to make sure no one had seen. Fortunately the limited number of people about at the train station at that time of the morning were going about their business without giving them a second glance. He had never kissed her in public before. It was an unspoken rule between the two of them.

"Haymitch! Someone might see!" She chastised as she subconsciously straightened her clothing as if someone would look at her and know that because her the lapel of her jacket was slightly askew it meant she had just been ravished by Haymitch Abernathy. If only, he thought wistfully.

The outraged look on her face reminded him of the times she had chastised him when she was his escort. It'd normally had something to do with him drinking too much or his general lack of manners. Haymitch laughed. God he really had missed her.

"Well you're going to be living with me now sweetheart. I think people might figure out we're more than just friends. And anyway it will be better for you if people know we're married. If they think we're living together unmarried, well it won't warm people to you around here."

She hadn't said anything but he knew she must be worried about the reaction of the locals when they find out she has moved there. Not that there were many local or native Twelve residents left after Snow had bombed the entire District. Nevertheless the ones that had got out in time had mostly returned to Twelve. There was enough of them to make Effie's life there uncomfortable if they chose to do so. And considering she was the woman who used to show up every year to take two of their children to their almost certain death, it was likely they would want to make her life as uncomfortable as possible. For years she had done nothing for these people but reap their sons and daughters. He doubted there was much room to come back from that.

Haymitch thought he had enough respect in the District that meant at his word Effie would be left alone. Declaring her his wife was a good way of having his word heard. Once again being married to Haymitch might literally save her life.

"You know for all of your hardships, and bravery, and spirit, some of your attitudes around here are just plain backwards." She declared, earning another rueful laugh from him.

"You'll hear no arguments from me on that one."

She raised her eyebrows at him in surprise. She nearly always heard arguments from him in some way or another.

"Come on sweetheart, let's go home." Haymitch said.

Home. The place she'd been looking for since the war, maybe even before that. She'd never really felt like she'd found it but perhaps she had been looking in all the wrong places. Perhaps it wasn't a place at all but a person – this person in front of her that made her crazy with his crassness and sloppiness and sarcasm. The same person that made her laugh, made her want to get up in the morning, made her feel safe.

Haymitch took the handle of the suitcase and began to pull it away with a lot more ease than she had managed getting on and off the train. She tucked her hand in the crook of his other elbow and they started walking.

"I suppose we better start by figuring out how best to explain to the children we've been secretly married for the last eighteen months." Effie stated.

"It'll be a nice early wedding present for them."

She laughed as she imaged the kid's faces, Katniss particularly, when they learned that little fact. She snuggled in closer to Haymitch's side, desperate for any extra warmth she could steal.

It wasn't going to be easy but she was home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to be expect the mistakes as this is un-beta'd.**

 **Happy reading.**

A Semblance of a Life

Chapter Three

 _The following day…_

Effie stood at the corner of the makeshift dance floor watching a few remaining couples sway together to the music. The day had been gorgeous. A simple, small affair taking place entirely in Peeta's back garden but gorgeous nonetheless. Katniss of course looked beautiful and Effie had been honoured when she had asked her to help her get ready that morning.

She and Haymitch had not told them about their marriage or Effie's plans to stay in Twelve yet. They'd concluded, or she had concluded, it wasn't fair to drop that bombshell the day before their wedding. They would wait until they returned from Honeymoon and inevitably asked why Effie was still there. Haymitch had been in such an uncharacteristically good mood though that they probably knew something was up.

Lost in her own thoughts Effie startled slightly when she felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her from behind. This was followed by the subtle graze of lips and stubble rubbing against her neck. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Her stomach flipped and she had to fight the instinct to push him away and remind him that they were in public. What he had said at the train station the day before was right – people would figure out what was going on between them and it would probably be better for her if they did so quickly.

The embrace was earning them a few curious glances. She saw Katniss nudge Peeta and whisper something to him which in turn made him smile. They must have already known something was going on. She'd been turning up every few weeks for the past year, always staying a couple of days in Haymitch's house. Whilst she did things with the kids too, she also did a lot with just Haymitch. You didn't do that with just a friend. Still, it was going to be a shock for them when they find out how very 'not just friends' they were.

"I want to have a drink." Haymitch sighed grumpily into the back of her neck.

"I know." She replied sympathetically. There wasn't much alcohol around but enough for toasts and quiet celebrations. She realised how difficult it must be for him to be this surrounded by temptation. "Have me instead." She continued in her best seductive voice, low enough for him alone to hear. She was hoping some good old fashioned distraction would be enough.

Haymitch groaned as she felt the grip on her waist tighten and his lips found her neck once more. This time she did move out of his embrace and turned to face him.

"I didn't mean right here, right now. Honestly Haymitch!" She sounded outraged but the look on her face told him she wasn't really that angry.

"I can't help it. It's you in that goddamn dress!"

Effie rolled her eyes at him. She knew he would like the dress she was wearing, it was half the she reason she had brought it in the first place. It still looked terribly plain to her but he seemed to like her plain – plain makeup, plain hair, plain clothes. She'd also brought it because it was one the only ones she could afford and had known Katniss' dress would not be extravagant, as indeed it was not, and it was terrible bad manners to upstage the bride on her wedding day. At least he shoes were still fabulous, she'd have to make do with that.

Haymitch was looking at like he wanted to devour her whole.

"Stop looking at me like that." She warned him.

"Let's go home." He replied. Effie opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off: "Party's almost over, most people have left. No one will notice if we slip away now. Let's go home. There's something I want to show you."

"I bet there is." She replied wryly.

They manged to escape the party fairly unnoticed, though Effie was certain she saw Katniss and Peeta give each other a look when they did so.

They made their way across the village square and into Haymitch's kitchen through the backdoor. As soon as they were inside and the door was closed behind them Effie all but launched herself at Haymitch, hungrily seeking mouth whilst pressing the length of her body into his. He responded instantly; his hands ran through her hair as roughly undid all of the work she had put in that morning to keep it up in its elaborate style. Haymitch flipped her round and pushed her into the backdoor producing an audible thud. She groaned into his mouth in response.

"You've certainly changed your tune." He panted against her lips when he pulled back for air. Despite his laboured breathing she could still hear the amusement in his voice.

"We're in private now."

Effie kissed him again before he could answer back. He felt her trail her hand down the front of his shirt and wind its way under the waistband of his trousers. His fingers caught her wrist just before she found her intended target. He couldn't afford that level of distraction just yet.

Haymitch guided her hand out of his trousers and kept a hold of it, using his grip on her to lead her into the living room. He could feel her questioning gaze on the back of his head as she followed him but she didn't say anything.

In the living room a fire had been prepared. Though not lit it was all ready to go and the by the side of it there was a poker and a small, white loaf of Peeta's homemade bread. Effie knew at once she was looking at the set up for a toasting.

"Haymitch…" She said slowly and deliberately.

"Why not now?" He replied to her unspoken question.

"I thought other people's weddings were supposed to make the _woman_ broody for her own." She was clearly teasing him but she was also biding her time to work out what exactly she wanted to do. There was a definite permanence to this whole toasting thing and she was very much aware of it. It was as if the fireplace was shouting at her: 'no going back'.

"We're already married. This just makes it official."

It made it official in Twelve, made it so no one can there could dispute the fact they were truly man and wife. She knew this was his motivation more than him wanting to declare his love for her. That was never going to be Haymitch's style. This was still about protecting her. And as antiquated as it was branding her his with a toasting would protect her far more than anything else could in Twelve.

"Well you better show me what to do then."

She saw his smile of relief and knew her theory about protection was correct. Effie slipped off her shoes and settled on the rug in front of the fireplace next to him.

"We have to light it together… like this…" He struck the match and handed it to her before placing both of his hands around hers and guiding her to hold the match at just the place for the flame to catch. "…I go first…"

He took the loaf, broke it in half and placed his half on the end of the poker, holding it over the growing flames. They sat in silence, watching the bread slowly warm. When Haymitch deemed the bread ready he took the poker out of the fire and pulled off a chunk of bread from the end. It jumped around slightly in his fingers because due to the heat of it.

"Blow on it." He quietly commanded as he held out the bread to her. She did as she was told and blew on it whilst it was still in his fingers. He then pushed it gently into her mouth. The bread was warm but not really toasted. She supposed that wasn't the point. Though to be fair she was struggling to see what the point was anyway. "Now it's your turn. Try not to burn down the house."

"You know your jokes aren't funny right?" It didn't stop him smiling.

She repeated his actions exactly and he followed her commands as she did his. When he finished the bread she had given him she waited but he didn't say anything.

"That's it?" She asked, rather bemused.

"That's it." He confirmed. "We are now husband and wife, _properly_ …You may kiss your groom." She climbed onto his lip and kissed him lightly. "That's it?" He said, both mimicking and mocking her tone. She indulged him with a smile and then kissed him again, longer this time. "I have something for you too. It's in my pocket." Effie made a displeased face.

"That's a way to ruin a nice moment."

"What? Oh, no, not that!" Haymitch scoffed. "Well maybe that too, later, but first…"

He pulled out something small from his pocket and held it in his closed hand so she couldn't see what it was. "You don't have your wig anymore." She gave him a confused look so he continued. "Katniss has her pin, Peeta has his medallion, I have this…"

He wriggled his wrist so the cuff of his shirt rode up to reveal the hold bangle she had given him before the last Hunger Games. She didn't know he still had it. She had seen him give it to Finnick to take into the arena so Katniss and Peeta would know they could trust him. She wasn't aware he had ever got it back, let alone still wore it. Finnick must have given it back when they were in Thirteen. She ran her fingers over it and smiled.

"You need something gold." Haymitch explained. "Now I'm not sure how much gold is actually in this but it must have some so…"

He opened his palm to reveal what she thought was a gold wedding band. He placed it on her wedding finger without asking but she didn't mind, especially when he dipped his head to kiss the ring as soon as it was in place. When he pulled back she saw it properly for the first time. She recognised it immediately.

"Is this the tribute token from your games?" Haymitch nodded in affirmation.

That was quite the story the year Haymitch had won. The moody teenager from Twelve; killer with a knife, sarcastic in interviews, not taken in ay all by any of the process – his token from home had been his mother's wedding ring. The Capitol had loved it. The human side to the hardnosed Victor. Of course his mother was dead by the time he got back to Twelve. It was one of the only things he had left of hers, perhaps the only thing.

"Haymitch I can't…" Effie went to take the ring off of her finger but he stopped her.

"Don't be stupid, of course you can. You're my wife."

She ran her fingers over the tarnished metal.

"I love it." She whispered to him, very overcome with the gesture. "And you. Very much." She didn't expect a response. He was not the best at verbalising his feelings or saying those three little words but she didn't ever doubt it. The ring was proof enough on its own.

"I know it's not as fancy as you would choose…"

"No!" She interrupted him suddenly. "It's better than that. It means something. Thank you."

She reached up to kiss him, hoping to convey how much the gesture meant to her. The kiss turned more and more heated until his hands were everywhere on her all at once and he had laid her down on the rug and was sliding the dress from her shoulders. She was encouraging him every step of the way; clawing at his clothes with a desperate want that still scared her sometimes.

What would the old Effie say to this? Being ravished by Haymitch Abernathy on his, _their_ , dusty living room floor. Being so overjoyed by a piece of plain jewellery and a sort of toasted chunk of bread. How very District she had become. But oh how very happy too.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except the mistakes as this is un-beta'd.**

A Semblance of a Life

Chapter Four

 _A few days later…_

Effie turned on the kitchen tap and filled her glass with water before taking a long, unladylike gulp. She'd been painting the living room in Haymitch's, or more accurately their, house for hours – it was a big room and needed a lot of work.

It had all started the day after Katniss and Peeta's wedding, the day after their toasting, when Haymitch had made the mistake of saying he wanted her to feel as if it were her home too so she could change anything that she wanted, within reason (meaning no pink). Boy what a mistake that was. Because it turns out what Effie wanted to change was everything. Hence she had gone crazy buying nearly every colour of paint under the sun and ordering a whole host of new furniture. It seemed now she had moved in and officially become his wife she had no problem spending the money he'd been trying to give her for months.

She looked out of the window that sat above the sink and saw Haymitch in the backyard going to work with a saw on a very awful, old, and broken sofa. Effie had wanted to have some kind of ceremonial burning of all the decrepit furniture that had been in the house since it was built over seventy five years ago. She'd said something about it signifying the start of their new lives or something similar that Haymitch had not been listening to. The point was you couldn't exactly toss a whole sofa onto a bonfire.

In all fairness the furniture she had ordered to replace it had not actually been too bad, meaning it had not been too Capitol. Effie had said she'd only ordered pieces that were in tone with the aesthetic of the house … or something. Haymitch hadn't been listening to that either. The point was he'd still have to cut up a load of furniture, on his own, with a hand saw.

He suddenly stopped his sawing and wiped the back of his arm over his forehead before peeling his sweat-soaked t-shirt over his head. The weather in Twelve had gone crazy. Only a few days ago it had been so cold it could have easily snowed and now it was almost a heatwave. Well that might be a slight exaggeration but it was certainly warm enough for Haymitch to overheat by working hard in the afternoon sun.

Effie couldn't help but admire the view as she drank the rest of her water. She smiled as properly realised that a lack of alcohol combined with eating proper food since he'd moved back to Twelve and all the running around after everyone after the war had done wondrous things for his physique. He was in good shape; the small gut he had developed before was now completely gone, his muscles were more toned and defined, and his arms were definitely bigger. He looked damn good.

In fact she wasn't sure she'd ever really appreciated just how good looking he was until that moment. Their relationship hadn't had the most conventional start. She'd spent years hating him whilst at the same time feeling oddly fond and protective of him. And then when they had finally got together after the war they'd both been so fragile that their intimacy had always been more about seeking and offering comfort then straightforward lust.

That had been a factor too of course but never really the focus. Until she'd agreed to move in with him that is; in the last week their focus had been little else and they were well and truly acting like newlyweds. They couldn't keep their hands off of each other.

She pouted another glass of water and took it out to him. Haymitch thanked her as he took the glass and downed it in one mouthful. She let her nails scrap along the skin of his bare chest while he drank.

"You okay?" He asked curiously when the glass' contents had been completely drained.

"Yeah."

She replied absentmindedly as her nails worked their way down to his abdomen, trailing the fine line of hair that ran there. She teased her bottom lip in her teeth as if contemplating something and a look that was entirely too cocky passed over Haymitch's face as he finally caught on to her current mood.

"See something you like princess?" He drawled.

"Maybe." Her eyes were still fixed on his exposed upper body as she spoke. "You're so different from Capitol men."

"Really, what gave me away?!" He teased, faking shock at his 'secret' being discovered. Effie however seemed to completely ignore him whilst she continued with her own train of thought.

"I'd never been with a Distract man before you."

"Again you're shocking me with this insight sweetheart."

Of course he wasn't surprised by that information. But he couldn't understand why he felt quite so thrilled about it.

"Are you saying you wished I was completely hairless and shiny like your Capitol men?"

Haymitch had always found it strange how both men and women in the Capitol removed practically all of the hair from their bodies. It made them shiny and plastic like a doll. On cold nights in the Twelve you were thankful for every single hair you had, you were desperate for any extra insulation. He doubted Effie would change her routine now she had moved. In hospital after they had found her it was one of the things she had been most upset about – how ungroomed she was. He had found it utterly ridiculous considering she'd just spend months being tortured and was facing a public trial and possible execution. But then he had always found her ridiculous, yet now he found that he loved that ridiculousness.

"No." She denied almost instantly. "I like your fuzz."

"Fuzz?!"

The light blonde hair that covered his body wasn't particularly thick or coarse. Fuzz was probably quite an accurate description.

"How else is my body different from a Capitol man's?"

If she wanted to turn this into some flirty little game about how much she enjoyed his body then he was all for it. He'd happily return the favour afterwards.

"Your strength. It doesn't come from a gym…" Her finger were dancing over his biceps now. "It comes from years of hard work… the muscle memory… it's earthier, more rugged…" Haymitch raised his eyebrows at her choice of words.

"Oh I get it now – you married me because I fulfil some rough, rugged, District man kink of yours?"

He put down the glass on a nearby table and stepped forward, wrapping both of his arms around her waist and pulling her close to him. He half expected her to complain about how sweaty he was but she didn't. Then again she was covered in paint herself so maybe she thought she had no room to talk. They both needed a shower… now there was a thought…

"Don't I fulfil some kink of yours?" Effie asked, a coquettish innocence playing in her voice.

"Like what?"

"I don't know… a screwed up Capitol doll that is more scars than skin?" She looked away as she said the words and he felt her tense slightly in his arms.

"That's how you see you that's not how I see you." He told her firmly.

"What do you see then?"

"I see impossibly creamy skin that looks much too precious to be allowed to be touched me. But then I am allowed." He brought one of his hands to the opening of his old shirt that she was wearing to paint in. His fingers covered the exposed skin between her collarbones. "I see my rough, dirty hands on that pure skin…" He leaned closer to whisper in her ear. "Now that's a kink sweetheart." He then proceeded to undo a couple of the buttons and ran his down between her breasts. "You know what else?.. You wearing my clothes – that seriously does it for me." He undid another button. "And me taking _my_ clothes off of _your_ body now that is almost too much for me to handle." He went for another button but she suddenly slapped his hands away.

"Haymitch we're in public!" Effie exclaimed, clearly outraged.

"We're in our garden, in a village where the only other two residents are away for the week." He countered.

"Someone might still come to visit and then…"

"Yes, with all the many, many friends that you and I have between us I see that as a very likely possibility."

Effie proceeded to give him a very pointed look. He leaned forward to kiss her briefly. She allowed the gesture but did not kiss him back or even close her eyes. It was rather off putting trying to kiss her when he could feel her giving him the stink eye whilst he was doing it.

"Come on sweetheart…" He drawled in a way she knew he believed was utterly charming. He did have some kind of point in that regard but she kept her ground regardless. "…I'll grunt so it can be like your caveman fantasy." Haymitch teased her.

"I do not have a caveman fantasy." She told him firmly.

"Rough, hairy District man is only one step up from caveman baby."

"When you behave like this that's certainly true." She replied in same stern tone of voice. Nevertheless as soon as she had finished speaking her face broke out into a reluctant smile. Effie rolled her eyes both at Haymitch's behaviour and her own inability to stay angry at him.

He kissed her again and this time she let him. Whilst the embrace grew increasingly in passion it was still not indecent. In fact he'd only just chanced, and gotten away with, a quick fondle beneath the shirt she was wearing when a very disgruntled voice interrupted them:

"You are aware that you are outside and that people can see you, right?!" Katniss called out, sounding absolutely horrified.

Haymitch and Effie jumped apart at once and Effie turned to face their intruders without thought. As soon as she did so she realised her mistake and grabbed the front of her gapping shirt with both hands. Katniss and Peeta, who stood a few paces away from them clutching their travel bags, both visibly startled as they recognised their former Escort.

"Effie?" Peeta asked in disbelief.

That confirmed Haymitch's suspicion that they weren't only shocked to find him fooling around with a woman in his front garden but they were equally, if not more surprised to find him fooling around with Effie. All the looks the pair had been giving each other at their wedding, all of the sideward glances towards himself and Effie strongly suggested they suspected something was going on. Looking at them then though that did not seem the case.

"I thought you were away on your honeymoon." Haymitch said which sounded stupid as clearly they were not still on their honeymoon but he couldn't think of a single other thing to say.

One of Effie's hands worked its way up from the shirt front to cover her face. She was evidently mortified by the whole situation and for once she wasn't even exaggerating. However the moment caused Katniss to notice a certain addition to Effie's hand… all those years of hunting had made her attention to detail superb. Katniss didn't miss a thing. Especially not a new, shiny, gold thing.

"Is that a wedding ring?!" Katniss demanded of the pair. Haymitch and Effie exchanged a worried glance but neither said a thing.

"Explain. Now." Peeta commanded. At last Haymitch replied:

"You better come inside."

The four of them made their way into the kitchen. If ever there was a conversation that required Haymitch to have a drink in his hand that was it and he was about to have it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except the mistakes as this is un-beta'd.**

 **Note: Sorry for the wait.**

 **Happy reading.**

A Semblance of a Life

Chapter Five

Haymitch walked into the kitchen to find Effie pouring tea and adding milk to each cup. He cleared his throat slightly as not to make her jump before saying:

"Well I've managed to find them some place to sit amongst all the painting madness. You know they still look a little shell-shocked to me."

He laughed a little to himself about that last part. But then Haymitch noticed that Effie had not turned to give him a smile that was simultaneously knowing and rueful as he fully expected her to do. In fact she did not respond at all. It was only then that he realised she had been stirring the last cup of tea for a hell of a long time whilst frowning at her reflection in the glass of the kitchen window.

He immediately assumed she was looking at her somewhat scruffy appearance. Whilst he had certainly become accustom to seeing her not fully made up, in fact she hadn't been fully made up since the wedding and even then her appearance was severely toned down to what it had been before the revolution. Nevertheless, the children had never seen her without her make-up on, or with her hair scraped back, or in his old, baggy clothes that were covered in paint.

"You look fine sweetheart." He told her sincerely.

"I look like a tramp." Was her automatic reply but it still sounded distracted. Distracted enough, in fact, for Haymitch to realise it wasn't her appearance that had been worrying her at all.

"Yeah, well, you're the prettiest damn tramp I've ever seen."

To this she finally stopped stirring the tea and turned to face him. She offered him a small smile but he could see the uncertainty and … fear, at least he thought it was fear, in her eyes.

"What is it?" He asked with genuine concern.

He himself was apprehensive about telling the kids. He was wary of all of the inevitable comments and teasing that would follow but he wasn't scared. He suddenly had the worst sinking feeling in his stomach that perhaps she was having second thoughts about the whole thing – about moving there, marrying him properly, having a real life together.

Effie remained quiet for several moments. He was about to ask her again when she suddenly burst out, barely keeping a lid on her obvious hysteria:

"They're not going to want me here! You saw their faces. They're not going to want me here. Katniss is not going to want me here!"

"Don't be stupid!" He replied harshly before he could think of the words falling out of his mouth.

He regretted it at once as soon as he saw her flinch slightly. One thing he had learnt – raising a voice to Effie when she was feeling upset or insecure was one sure fire way to make it a hell of a lot worse. Haymitch brought his hand up and stroked her cheek gently, it was now a little wet from the silent tears that had fallen. He hoped the gesture would be enough to show what he truly meant.

"I'm always going to be the Escort." Effie said more calmly than before but still just as heartbroken.

"That's not true. The kids will want you here they're just surprised. And anyway you're not living with them you're living with me and I want you here." Haymitch paused for a moment before continuing, now clearly a little uncomfortable at the subject of the conversation. "We got married so you wouldn't be the Escort anymore, you'd be my wife. And you are."

That was definitely true. Both the licence they had signed in the Capitol and the toasting they had had in Twelve had been about that at its core at least. Protecting her with his name. Protecting her from the name Escort.

Haymitch cleared his throat again before going on:

"Because somehow being my wife is actually better for you in this crazy world we're living in." She might have known he couldn't have reassured her without the self-loathing sneaking its way in. "You're my wife, you're living with me and I want you here. Isn't that enough?"

She nodded and gave him a genuine smile that time that, though he'd never admit it out loud, warmed his heart a little. And he knew beyond doubt then that he loved the ridiculous mess of a woman in front of him, though he'd probably never admit that out loud either, and she loved the ridiculous mess of man he was.

Haymitch leaned forward to give her small kiss to the forehead but she burrowed her way into his side to keep him close to her for a moment. She took strength from that, from him and when she pulled away she looked more energised, more confident.

"Come on then. If I'm not allowed booze then I'm going to need bloody tea at least." Haymitch told her, finally placing the kiss to her head.

They entered the living room and Effie placed the tray of tea in the middle of the coffee table. Effie and Haymitch took their seats next to each other on a sofa directly opposite the one Katniss and Peeta were sitting side by side on. The four of them look as if they were about to face off. They were surrounded by dust sheets haphazardly thrown all around, half painted walls and an uncomfortable silence. It was quite the scene.

"So…" Peeta began, smiling sweetly.

Haymitch thought the boy already looked like he was enjoying this a little too much. Peeta was not blind to feeling the way his dear wife tended to be. He knew exactly what was going on here, he probably always had. It was only Katniss, being as love blind as ever, that seemed genuinely surprised by the turn of events.

Haymitch leant forward and rested his nervous hands on his knees. Eventually he just said it as it was, as plainly as he could:

"Effie is staying in Twelve… Staying here with me… For good."

"What about your job?" Katniss asked immediately. She remained eying both Effie and Haymitch very warily as if she had never seen either of them before.

"I quit." Effie quietly replied.

"You never quit at anything." Katniss answered just as quickly.

That was true. Effie didn't quit, it just wasn't in her nature. It was the only reason she had stayed District Twelve's Escort for so long when all the others before her had only ever managed to put up with Haymitch for a year or two. Effie simply refused to quit no matter how hard he had made her job or general existence for that matter. It was also probably the only reason that she had managed to stay alive during her imprisonment by the Capitol. She wouldn't quit at living not matter what they did to her.

Despite the truth of Katniss' statement Haymitch still felt Effie flinch beside him. Katniss' words had hit her like a blow and he had no doubt Katniss had meant them that way. She was lashing out. Katniss didn't like to be the one out of the loop, the one playing catch up.

Katniss' attitude instantly put Haymitch on the defensive.

"It's not quitting. It's a stupid job that she doesn't need. Now she gets to be here, with us." Those words made Peeta smile but Katniss only scowled all the more.

"What will you do for a job in Twelve?" Was Katniss' next fired out question. It seemed a stupid question though considering none of the three Victor's had a job currently.

"I don't know yet." Effie replied.

"I'm going to start work on re-opening the bakery soon. You could help me do that." Peeta offered.

Effie smiled at the kind offer. Her kind, kind boy was well and truly back. Not even the Capitol torturers could wipe that out of him.

"Doing what exactly? Baking bread?" Katniss laughed scathingly and both Peeta and Haymitch turned to glare at her. That seemed to get the message through to her a little as she finally sat back against the sofa, her posture less aggressive, and looked less like she was about to pounce on Effie.

Haymitch hoped Effie wasn't taking her lukewarm reaction personally. Katniss had just gotten her life back in some kind of equilibrium and whether she meant to or not Effie showing up here was threatening that. He and the girl were so alike – he understood her feelings totally even though he clearly did not share them. On the contrary in fact. Effie moving here was finally going to put his life in some kind of equilibrium.

"No, not baking. But someone has to sell the bread. If Effie can sell you and me as the star-crossed young lovers then I think she can sell some bread." Peeta said clearly teasing Katniss as he turned to give her a look that made Haymitch a little uncomfortable. It worked though as a moment later Haymitch saw Katniss smile coyly at Peeta, her whole attitude seemingly changed in an instant. He had to hand it to Peeta – he certainly knew what he was doing when it came to his wife.

"Thank you Peeta, that's kind of you." Effie said. She was obviously relaxing a little now it appeared she might be fully accepted.

Suddenly Katniss turned back towards the pair opposite her.

"And the ring?" She asked though this time her tone was completely different, not demanding anymore but just questioning.

Haymitch and Effie shared a look. He could see Effie was still a little timid, still afraid of rejection. Effie was never timid. But then she had been rejected by nearly everyone she had known after the war. Being the Rebel Escort was not an easy thing to be. Katniss and Peeta and himself were pretty much all she had left.

Still looking at Effie, Haymitch finally answered:

"We got married…" He turned to see absolute shock registering on both children's faces, even Peeta's, he clearly hadn't seen that one coming. "…Eighteen months ago…." Their eyes widened even more but neither said a thing. "…It was right after Snow surrendered. We got married in Eff's hospital room." Haymitch didn't even realise his own slip up of using Effie's abbreviated name, he was too busy thinking how good it felt to finally tell them. No more hiding.

"Why?" Katniss asked when she had found her voice after several moments of heavy silence.

"Why do you think Katniss?!" Haymitch raised his voice a little in frustration. Could she really not see why?

"To protect Effie from Coin." Peeta explained. He of course had got it in one.

"I knew that was the only way to guarantee Coin would leave her alone. Being a Victor's family was finally good for something. And it worked." Haymitch turned back to face Effie once more before he continued: "But things are different now. We're married for real."

He knew the kids would be able to figure that much out for themselves. Well, Peeta would at least and then he could have explained it for Katniss. But somehow Haymitch needed to say it, to acknowledge it out loud. He was still pretty terrible at expressing how he felt but he could at least make the nature of his marriage to Effie clear to anyone that would doubt it. Effie smiled at him and slipped her hand into his that was still resting on his leg.

"Twelve remains hardly populated. News will travel fast. You should prepare yourselves for that." Peeta warned. Both Effie and Haymitch nodded silently. They knew exactly what he meant. For once it appeared Katniss understood at once also.

"Well if anyone has anything to say about it you send them to me." She said defiantly.

Haymitch and Effie knew they could get no bigger stamp of acceptance than that.


End file.
